Alex Ovechkin poses with his friend Ann. (via the Caps)
The Caps celebrated Youth Hockey Day on Sunday against the San Jose Sharks. The matinee featured several events with children, including some from various organizations who accompanied the players to the locker room and on the ice for the national anthem (photos below). A child partook in Spot-the-Cow, and an 8-year-old named Harper read the starting lineup.
Alex Ovechkin reunited with his friend Ann Schaab, who he met several years ago, when she was 10. Back in 2015, they went on a sushi date and Ann was spotted hanging out with Ovi at various events. Ann, now a teenager and a member of the Washington Ice Dogs, is seen here arriving with Ovi and some teammates:
It's Youth Hockey Day at Capital One Arena and the Caps are celebrating with special guest arrivals!
Ovi arrives with Washington Ice Dogs players Justin Smith, Ben McCormick and Ann Schaab 🏒@Capitals pic.twitter.com/QYhdf8PItA
— NBC Sports Capitals (@NBCSCapitals) February 12, 2023
— Capitals Outsider (@CapsOutsider) February 12, 2023
And, of course, Mites on Ice skated. Nicklas Backstrom’s 6 1/2 year old son Vince was interviewed during the second intermission. When asked if he was as good a passer as his father, he said “Yeah.”
Our Delta Dental Mite of the Nite is … VINCE BACKSTROM!#ALLCAPS | @DeltaDentalins pic.twitter.com/8BAP7CXxjU
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 12, 2023
Here are the photos of the Caps and the kids who arrived with them. More than 20 local programs were represented.
Photos via the Caps. Here is a list of the names, organizations and players in the photos:
| Team/Organization | Youth Player | Caps Player |
| Baltimore Banners – Baltimore, MD | Larry Shanks-Leas | Darcy Kuemper |
| Caps Academy – Arlington, VA | Desmond Black | Marcus Johansson |
| Ft. Dupont Cannons – Washington, D.C. | Ralph Featherstone | Lars Eller |
| Montgomery Youth Hockey – Montgomery County, MD | Emma Mills | Erik Gustafsson |
| Navy Youth Hockey – Annapolis, MD | Harrison Fiddler | TJ Oshie |
| Piedmont Predators – Haymarket, VA | Joey Ciba | Matt Irwin |
| Potomac Lady Patriots – Woodbridge, VA | Liliana Clos | Charlie Lindgren |
| Reston Raiders – Reston, VA | Lucy Spencer | Martin Fehervary |
| Tucker Road Ducks – Prince George’s County, MD | Charles Tucker | Sonny Milano |
| The St. James – McClean, VA | Vince Backstrom | Nicklas Backstrom |
| Wasington Pride – Washington, D.C. | Liv Murray | Dylan Strome |
| Ashburn House League – Ashburn, VA | Henry Helsabeck | Aliaksei Protas |
| CSHL – Washington-Liberty – Arlington, VA | Will Jamieson | Nicolas Aube-Kubel |
| MAGHL – St. John’s – -Washington, D.C. | Caroline Lokken | Trevor van Riemsdyk |
| MAPHL/WCAC – St. John’s – Washington, D.C. | Chase Hornbecker | Nicolas Aube-Kubel |
| MSHL – Winston Churchill – Potomac, MD | Dylan Pham | Nick Jensen |
| MSHL Girls – North Eastern – Baltimore, Harford, Cecil counties | Tori Hayes | Evgeny Kuznetsov |
| NVSHL – Langley High School Saxons – McLean, VA | Kameron Khazai | Dmitry Orlov |
| MIAA – Calvert Hall – Towson, MD | Owen Cornett | Connor Sheary |
| All Caps All Her – Multiple cities | Izzy Juneja | Alex Alexeyev |
| NOVA Cool Cats – Northern, VA | Leif Young | Garnet Hathaway |
| NOVA Cool Cats | Ellie Scrogham | Garnet Hathaway |
| Washington Ice Dogs – Washington, D.C. | Justin Smith | Alex Ovechkin |
| Washington Ice Dogs | Ben McCormick | Alex Ovechkin |
| Washington Ice Dogs | Ann Schaab | Alex Ovechkin |
Though this wasn’t unique to today’s game, the Caps have also been featuring a Lion King Cam, where they play the music from the movie as parents hold their kids up in the air.
